


The Time of Your Life

by Luka



Category: Primeval
Genre: F/F, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-21
Updated: 2019-07-21
Packaged: 2020-07-10 05:53:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19900879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luka/pseuds/Luka
Summary: A distraught Abby makes some discoveries and some life-changing decisions.





	The Time of Your Life

Abby wanted to cry. And for about the tenth time that day, she wished she was back in the zoo. The anomaly project was just too painful to bear any more. There was too much death…

She sat in the corner of the shower, knees under her chin and hugging her legs, ignoring the fact that the water raining down on her was rapidly turning cold. There was no way she was going outside for at least half an hour, though. Connor would be waiting for her, Connor with his puppy-dog eyes and pathetic crush.

Why was she such a bitch to him? Why couldn't she just tell him that she wasn't interested? It was obvious he couldn't take a hint. She'd felt faintly guilty at chucking him out of the flat when Jack arrived. She could have made her brother sleep on the sofa, but instead she used it as the excuse to evict Connor. As for Jack, he was just the latest in the long line of complications in her life…

"Abby, what on earth are you doing? You'll catch your death of cold!"

Jenny had yanked back the shower curtain and was standing, hands on hips, staring down at her. Behind, Sarah peered over her shoulder, her dark eyes full of concern.

"I'm OK…"

"You don't look it. How long have you been in there? The water's freezing.'

"Don't know," said Abby vaguely.

Jenny reached in to turn the shower off, seemingly oblivious to the water splashing all over her immaculate dress. But then Jenny could get covered in all manner of primordial slime and still look like she was at London Fashion Week.

"Can you stand up?"

Abby nodded. But her legs felt wobbly, and she was glad of Jenny's arm around her waist. Sarah wrapped her in a towel, gently enveloping her chilled limbs in it. The towel smelled faintly of fabric conditioner, and it somehow made Abby feel safe.

"Right, get dressed and come home with us. You can have a nice hot bath, and something to eat," said Jenny briskly.

Abby started to protest, then suddenly realised she didn't want to be back in the flat with Jack. Maybe she should change the locks… Even then he wouldn't take the hint. Her little brother really was very dense. Maybe the only way to get the message across was to get Captain Becker to stand guard at her door. Suddenly she started to giggle. And then for no reason she thought of Captain Ryan, and the giggles turned to tears.

"What's wrong, Abby?" Sarah touched her arm lightly.

Abby shook her head, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. Sarah frowned, but didn't pursue the matter, simply helping her into her jeans and teeshirt while Jenny packed her rucksack. Between them, they guided her to the car. And Abby was vaguely aware of Jenny's crisp, cut-glass tones telling Connor that she'd be fine, and hadn't he got a home to go to?

"No, not any more…" whispered Abby.

*~*~*~*

Jenny's house was an end of terrace in a posh part of town. Inside, it smelled of roses and furniture polish. Abby took her jacket off and looked around for somewhere to hang it. She was sure that Jenny was very house-proud and wouldn't want her dumping it on the banisters.

"I'll take that. Go upstairs with Sarah and run a hot bath. I'll see what's in the freezer for dinner."

The bathroom was to die for. It was dominated by a huge, free-standing bath. Shelves filled with plump towels dominated one wall. Abby perched on a stool as Sarah turned the taps on full, tipping a generous amount of rose-scented bubble bath into the water. 

"Right, that's hot enough. Hop in and relax. I'll bring you a glass of wine."

"Thank you…" Abby lay back in the water and closed her eyes. It felt like heaven.

Sarah had topped the hot water up twice and brought Abby two refills of wine before she could be prised from the bath, feeling rather prune-like. She wrapped herself in one of the fluffy towels, luxuriating in its softness. Her towels always seemed to dry like pieces of cardboard, or got used by Connor for mopping up creature mess. Oh shit, Connor… She pulled on a baggy teeshirt and pair of joggers that Sarah had found for her and went downstairs, studiously trying not to think about him.

The living room was surprisingly casual, with two huge sofas covered in brightly-coloured cushions and throws. Some classical music was playing low in the background.

Sarah appeared from the kitchen, a grin on her face, and handed Abby some olives to nibble on. "The chef says dinner will be about 15 minutes."

"It smells great." And it did – some sort of meat with rich seasonings, she thought.

"If you don't like the music, I can change it. Jenny's taste begins and ends with dead composers."

"It's fine," said Abby. She was used to having Radio 1 on in the background, but whatever was playing was oddly soothing.

"I'm doing my best to widen her repertoire, but it's taking time…"

Abby smiled vaguely and nodded. She glanced around the room, taking in the mix of contemporary novels, books on PR and marketing and weighty Egyptology tomes on the bookshelves. 

"You seem to be broadening Jenny's reading tastes as well…"

"Oh, those are all mine… The rest are up in the loft. Madam refuses to have thrillers sullying her shelves!"

Abby was confused. "Oh, OK. So when did you…?"

"Move in? About three months ago."

"I didn't realise."

"We kept it quiet."

Something was niggling away at the back of Abby's mind… The two dressing gowns on the back of the bathroom door, and the spare room (singular) that Sarah had pointed out to Abby as hers for the night. And that patent leather orange handbag slung behind a chair was Sarah's – Abby had secretly always coveted it.

Sarah was watching her, a smile playing around her lips. "Have you put two and two together yet?"

Abby nodded. God, she was dense. "I thought…"

"That Jenny was straight?"

Abby shrugged. She'd always assumed she was, mainly because she was sure there'd been a boyfriend around at one stage. Maybe she'd just jumped to conclusions that Jenny fancied Cutter, just because the mythical Claudia Brown apparently had. Cutter had regaled her with maudlin tales when he was in his cups – something that had become more regular after Stephen had… And now Cutter himself was… Abby started to cry.

"Hey, come on!" Sarah sat down beside her and hugged her. She smelled of herb shampoo and a musky perfume.

Abby sniffed and wiped her eyes with the tissue Sarah handed her. God, she hadn't taken her make-up off, so she'd look like a panda… "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. Let's go and have something to eat, then we can talk later if you want to."

"Thank you."

*~*~*~*

The meal was simple but delicious – steak, with a rich sauce, accompanied by sautéed potatoes, peas and grilled tomatoes. It wasn't a bit what Abby would have expected Jenny to serve, but she noticed that the two women cleared their plates. Abby managed about two-thirds of hers before admitting defeat. 

"Ice cream if you want it," said Jenny briskly.

"No thanks, that was lovely…"

"Good. We'll go through into the living room and have coffee."

Abby curled up in one corner of a sofa, her hands wrapped around a coffee mug. She'd taken a mouthful and discovered that it had been liberally laced with brandy. Jenny and Sarah settled on the other sofa, Sarah with her feet in Jenny's lap. Absent-mindedly Jenny started to massage them.

Abby was sure Jenny would start the cross-examination, so she was slightly taken aback when Sarah said: "Abby, what's going on? Do you want to talk about it?"

As she was shaking her head, she realised that she did. And she began to talk, spilling out how she couldn't bear the project any more after so many deaths, and how she hated her brother and wanted him gone, and how horrible she'd been to Connor…

Jenny said surprisingly gently: "It's about time you and Connor stopped all this fencing around nonsense and got yourselves together. It's patently obvious he worships the ground you walk on."

Abby wasn't sure whether she was laughing or crying at first. She knew Connor adored here and that he always had done. And that was the problem. She liked him as a loyal and funny friend, but that was as far as it went.

Jenny digested this piece of information. "Then I think you should tell him that and put him out of his misery. It's not fair to string him along."

"I know, and I hate myself for it…"

"Don't hate yourself. Do something about it and move on. Is there someone else?"

"No, but I wish there was…" Abby couldn't tell them that her dream partner would be Jenny herself, who was everything Abby wasn't – smart, sophisticated and destined for the top.

But it was Sarah who said gently: "Be honest about yourself, Abby. No one will care."

"But they will…" Abby rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, watching as the mascara smeared across her pale skin. "I can't tell Connor. And my brother will hate me."

"He needs to grow up," snapped Jenny.

Abby nodded. Jack hadn't won any friends since he'd bull-dozed into her life. And it was time she started to let go… It was only her misguided sense of loyalty to the brother who'd been abused almost as badly as she had that had made her take him in again. He'd let her down once too often. 

"Take it steady… Tell Connor and Jack that they need to find somewhere else to live. And then start to think how you can be you. It'll take time, Abby, but you can be true to yourself, and that's the main thing."

Abby nodded again. "Thanks…" And she managed a smile for Sarah and Jenny, glad that for the first time in her life she had friends she could confide in and who wouldn't judge her. She wasn't expecting miracles, but maybe it was OK to hope that things could change.


End file.
